<p>This thesis describes a community of Russian Old Believers in the province of Alberta. In order to introduce this relatively unknown religious minority, the largely ethnographic account presents a picture of the residents' history, economy, kinship, political organization, and cosmology. In view of the great influence of religious views and values on the lifestyle of the Old Believers, particular attention is paid to their 'religious culture'. This realm is examined historically, and attention is drawn to the continued importance of symbols of orthodoxy whose roots are embedded in Byzantine and Muscovite traditions. Especially striking is the interdependence between religious orthodoxy and physical purity, which is indicative of a symbiotic relationship between the home and the church. It is suggested that the lack of priesthood and proper sacraments has been overcome by the local Old Believers owing to the ability to compensate for this loss with an increase in domestic purity. This interpretation of the connection between the core and the periphery of the religious culture leads to the hypothesis that the proverbial 'ritualism' of the Old Believers derives not so much from 'blind traditionalism' as from an interdependence between ritual and dogma whose extent has been unrecognized by most commentators.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The thesis deals with the question how to understand the concept of KOSMOS in the Gospel of John. The term KOSMOS can be translated into the Czech language as {\clq}qthe world``. The thesis engages in all verses in the Gospel of John in which KOSMOS is mentioned. Of course, it examines its context which is needed to understand this term. The aim of the thesis is to determine in which meaning the evangelist uses the term KOSMOS.

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / eeue is dit in die kerk verwaarloos omdat die kerk dikwels staatskerk was en gemeentelede vanwee die ampshieragie in die kerk as minderwaardig beskou is en gevolglik passief geraak het. Selfs na die Hervorming het gemeentestrukture nie so verander dat gemeentelede aangemoedig is om God se priesters in die wereld te wees nie. In die Ned Geref Kerk is dit ook die geval. Tot en met die eerste demokratiese verkiesing in Suid-Afrika in 1994, was daar 'n intieme band tussen die kerk en die staat en tot nou toe nog, is dit 'n kerk met 'n baie sterk ampshierargie. Die gevolg is dat gelowiges nie deur die tipiese gemeentestruktuur in die kerk aangemoedig word om God se priesters in die wereld te wees nie, maar eerder om die gemeente te konserveer en te bewaar. Suid-Afrika met sy lae produktiwiteitsyfer en buitengewone hoe misdaadsyfer sou vandag baie beter daaraan toe gewees het as getowiges binne die Ned Geref Kerk oor die jare heen deur die gemeentestruktuur aangemoedig is om as God se verteenwoordigers in die samelewing op te tree.wereld op te tree, is dit nodig dat gemeentes vanuit die perspektief van die algemene priesterskap van die gelowige, nuut gestruktureer word. Hiervoor is 'n teorie en 'n ekklesiologiese model vir die algemene priesterskap van die gelowige nodig. In hierdie studie word nie net alleen so 'n teorie en model ontwikkel nie, maar word ook aangedui hoe hierdie model reeds binne 'n gemeente in die Ned Geref Kerk toegepas is. maak om op die wereld in plaas van op die konservering en bewaring van die gemeente te fokus. Die studie word afgesluit met die hoop dat gemeentes krities sal reflekteer oor die algemene priesterskap van gelowiges en sal oorweeg om te herstruktureer sodat iets van die algemene priesterskap van die gelowige in die toekoms tot sy reg sal kom. / The general priesthood of the believer is emphasised in the Bible. But the church has neglected it through the ages because the church often was a state church and church members were regarded as inferior and became passive due to the official hierarchy in the church. extent as to encourage church members to function as God's priests in the world. This is also the case in the Dutch Reformed Church. Up to the first democratic election in South Africa in 1994 there was an intimate bond between this church and the state, and to this day the Dutch Reformed Church has a very strong official hierarchy. Consequently the typical congregational structure of the church does not encourage church members to function as God's priests in the world but rather to conserve and preserve the congregation. South Africa, with its low rate of productivity and exceptionally high crime rate, would have been much better off today if the congregational structures had over the years encouraged believers in the Dutch Reformed Church to act as God's representatives in society. Should congregations wish to encourage their members to act as God's priests in the world, it will be necessary to restructure themselves from the perspective of the general priesthood of believers. Such theory and model are developed in this study. It is also shown how such a model has already been applied in a congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church. The study divides the ministerial responsibility of the believer into two categories, namely internal and external responsibility. This division enables congregations to focus on the world in stead of the conservation and preservation of the congregation as such. The study is concluded in the hope that congregations will take a critical look at the general priesthood of believers and will consider restructuring themselves so that individual believers will embrace their general priesthood in future. / D.Th.(Practical Theology)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / eeue is dit in die kerk verwaarloos omdat die kerk dikwels staatskerk was en gemeentelede vanwee die ampshieragie in die kerk as minderwaardig beskou is en gevolglik passief geraak het. Selfs na die Hervorming het gemeentestrukture nie so verander dat gemeentelede aangemoedig is om God se priesters in die wereld te wees nie. In die Ned Geref Kerk is dit ook die geval. Tot en met die eerste demokratiese verkiesing in Suid-Afrika in 1994, was daar 'n intieme band tussen die kerk en die staat en tot nou toe nog, is dit 'n kerk met 'n baie sterk ampshierargie. Die gevolg is dat gelowiges nie deur die tipiese gemeentestruktuur in die kerk aangemoedig word om God se priesters in die wereld te wees nie, maar eerder om die gemeente te konserveer en te bewaar. Suid-Afrika met sy lae produktiwiteitsyfer en buitengewone hoe misdaadsyfer sou vandag baie beter daaraan toe gewees het as getowiges binne die Ned Geref Kerk oor die jare heen deur die gemeentestruktuur aangemoedig is om as God se verteenwoordigers in die samelewing op te tree.wereld op te tree, is dit nodig dat gemeentes vanuit die perspektief van die algemene priesterskap van die gelowige, nuut gestruktureer word. Hiervoor is 'n teorie en 'n ekklesiologiese model vir die algemene priesterskap van die gelowige nodig. In hierdie studie word nie net alleen so 'n teorie en model ontwikkel nie, maar word ook aangedui hoe hierdie model reeds binne 'n gemeente in die Ned Geref Kerk toegepas is. maak om op die wereld in plaas van op die konservering en bewaring van die gemeente te fokus. Die studie word afgesluit met die hoop dat gemeentes krities sal reflekteer oor die algemene priesterskap van gelowiges en sal oorweeg om te herstruktureer sodat iets van die algemene priesterskap van die gelowige in die toekoms tot sy reg sal kom. / The general priesthood of the believer is emphasised in the Bible. But the church has neglected it through the ages because the church often was a state church and church members were regarded as inferior and became passive due to the official hierarchy in the church. extent as to encourage church members to function as God's priests in the world. This is also the case in the Dutch Reformed Church. Up to the first democratic election in South Africa in 1994 there was an intimate bond between this church and the state, and to this day the Dutch Reformed Church has a very strong official hierarchy. Consequently the typical congregational structure of the church does not encourage church members to function as God's priests in the world but rather to conserve and preserve the congregation. South Africa, with its low rate of productivity and exceptionally high crime rate, would have been much better off today if the congregational structures had over the years encouraged believers in the Dutch Reformed Church to act as God's representatives in society. Should congregations wish to encourage their members to act as God's priests in the world, it will be necessary to restructure themselves from the perspective of the general priesthood of believers. Such theory and model are developed in this study. It is also shown how such a model has already been applied in a congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church. The study divides the ministerial responsibility of the believer into two categories, namely internal and external responsibility. This division enables congregations to focus on the world in stead of the conservation and preservation of the congregation as such. The study is concluded in the hope that congregations will take a critical look at the general priesthood of believers and will consider restructuring themselves so that individual believers will embrace their general priesthood in future. / D.Th.(Practical Theology)

Throughout his career Augustine wrote often about the attainment of the vision of God, in which God would be seen face-to-face without the need of signs and symbols. He understood this vision to be the ultimate goal of Christianity, for in this contemplation of the divine believers attain true happiness through the enjoyment ofGod. Given the centrality ofthe vision of God in Augustine's writings, one would expect the secondary literature to be replete with references to this facet of his thought. However, this is not the case. While minor studies have been produced on the vision of God and Augustine, no major study exists. This thesis is an attempt to address, at least in some measure, this scholarly lacuna. In this thesis I attempt to examine Augustine's conception of the attainment of the vision of God as formulated at different points of his career in order to analyse the evolution of his thought. To accomplish this task I chose three principal writings from his corpus in which the vision of God plays an especially prominent role, each of which provides a window into the mindset of Augustine at a particular period of his life; they are De Quantitate Animae (The Greatness ofthe Soul), written c. 387; Confessiones, completed between 397 and 401; and De Trinitate (On the Trinity), completed c. 420. Through an analysis of Augustine's conception ofthe vision of God in each of these writings, I argue that his understanding ofthe means by which the vision is attained evolves as his career progresses. For example, in De Quantitate Animae Augustine posits that the soul can attain the vision of God in this life through a Plotinian-style interior withdrawal, and while he suggests that the church and the incarnate Son of God play a role in the soul's ascent to God, precisely what role they play is ambiguously formulated. Later writings, however, indicate that Augustine's conception of the vision of God evolved and I argue that the development of Augustine's conception of the attainment of the vision of God is a development which sees him moving steadily away from a positive understanding ofhuman potentiality toward a conception ofthe drastic consequences of human fallenness which is directly related to wrongly-ordered love, and away from an emphasis on interiority as a means of purification and toward an understanding of God as purifier in and through the Holy Spirit, whereby the individual is purified through the collective purification of the community manifesting the love that is the Holy Spirit. A more pronounced and nuanced conception ofthe role of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and ofthe community ofthe church in the attainment ofthe vision of God eschatologically thus characterises the evolution of Augustine's conception of humanity's ascent to the divine. This development also finds Augustine placing progressively less emphasis on the attainment of the vision of God in this life. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

The supreme aim of pastoral counselling is to facilitate the process of spiritual growth, sanctification and spiritual maturity in order for the counselee (in this instance a woman) to fulfil her purpose for which she has been created. For the co-dependent woman believer, dysfunctional and sinful behavioural patterns form a hindrance in this spiritual process. The central theoretical argument of this study is that pastoral counselling can be used effectively to guide women believers who experience co-dependent spiritual and emotional problems, to healing, transformation and spiritual growth. The aim is to determine the effect of co-dependency on the spiritual dimension of the woman believer and to establish pastoral guidelines for her spiritual growth and maturity. With a view to a better understanding of the nature and the extent of co-dependency, this study moved from the context to the text and the first objective was to explore related disciplines before biblical perspectives on co-dependency could be revealed. According to this meta-theoretical research, co-dependency mainly originates from dysfunctional families and entails one or more addictive conditions. These behavioural patterns mostly result in developing a false identity and is characterised by denial, worthlessness, unhealthy boundaries, defective self-assertion and dependence on others for acceptance to the detriment of self. Women believers often incorrectly justify their co-dependent behaviour from Scripture, which is indicative of a distorted understanding of God and possible pathology of belief. The second objective was to establish Scriptural perspectives with regard to co-dependency and subsequent influences on the spiritual dimension of women believers. Co-dependency appears intergenerationally and is rooted in sinful behavioural patterns. According to the Bible this sinful behaviour indicates an independency from God which is part of the effect of the fall of man. The family of David is a good example of the influence of the sin of parents on their children to the third and succeeding generations. For the purpose of this study the co-dependent behaviour of the women descendants of Sara were explored, The results of the empirical study confirmed the basic and meta-theoretical research which established that co-dependency negatively affects the spiritual dimension of women believers. The third objective was attained with the integration of the basic and meta-theoretical information in a hermeneutical way, in order to establish, among others, the following pastoral guidelines for the counselling of co-dependent women believers: - to identify intergenerational co-dependence behavioural patterns, distorted concepts of God and pathology of belief; - to establish healthy boundaries; and - to establish their new identity in Christ Jesus. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The supreme aim of pastoral counselling is to facilitate the process of spiritual growth, sanctification and spiritual maturity in order for the counselee (in this instance a woman) to fulfil her purpose for which she has been created. For the co-dependent woman believer, dysfunctional and sinful behavioural patterns form a hindrance in this spiritual process. The central theoretical argument of this study is that pastoral counselling can be used effectively to guide women believers who experience co-dependent spiritual and emotional problems, to healing, transformation and spiritual growth. The aim is to determine the effect of co-dependency on the spiritual dimension of the woman believer and to establish pastoral guidelines for her spiritual growth and maturity. With a view to a better understanding of the nature and the extent of co-dependency, this study moved from the context to the text and the first objective was to explore related disciplines before biblical perspectives on co-dependency could be revealed. According to this meta-theoretical research, co-dependency mainly originates from dysfunctional families and entails one or more addictive conditions. These behavioural patterns mostly result in developing a false identity and is characterised by denial, worthlessness, unhealthy boundaries, defective self-assertion and dependence on others for acceptance to the detriment of self. Women believers often incorrectly justify their co-dependent behaviour from Scripture, which is indicative of a distorted understanding of God and possible pathology of belief. The second objective was to establish Scriptural perspectives with regard to co-dependency and subsequent influences on the spiritual dimension of women believers. Co-dependency appears intergenerationally and is rooted in sinful behavioural patterns. According to the Bible this sinful behaviour indicates an independency from God which is part of the effect of the fall of man. The family of David is a good example of the influence of the sin of parents on their children to the third and succeeding generations. For the purpose of this study the co-dependent behaviour of the women descendants of Sara were explored, The results of the empirical study confirmed the basic and meta-theoretical research which established that co-dependency negatively affects the spiritual dimension of women believers. The third objective was attained with the integration of the basic and meta-theoretical information in a hermeneutical way, in order to establish, among others, the following pastoral guidelines for the counselling of co-dependent women believers: - to identify intergenerational co-dependence behavioural patterns, distorted concepts of God and pathology of belief; - to establish healthy boundaries; and - to establish their new identity in Christ Jesus. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

No description available.

From earliest times Christians have differed among themselves concerning their understanding and practice of baptism. In the early church of the third and fourth centuries there was a remarkable variety of baptismal practices within the 'One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church', including infant baptism, believers' baptism, delayed baptism, emergency baptism and death-bed baptism. In subsequent centuriest diversity of baptismal views and practices was greatly restricted by ecclesiastical and civil repression. In more recent times increasing religious freedom and the growing fragmentation of 'Christendom' have resulted in various baptismal practices developing, usually associated with certain traditions and denominations. Today, three major baptismal traditions can be identified: Catholic, Reformed and Baptistt each with their own particular insights, strengths and weaknesses. Something of a theological stalemate has been arrived at today in the arena of polemical debate for one particular baptismal position. The visible unity of Christians with one another in the world is intimately linked to their divine calling to be a witness to the saving, healing and reconciling work of God in Christ. The ability of Churches to incorporate legitimate diversity within an authentic unity is vital to their ministry in and to a broken and alienated world. Many differences of baptismal understanding and practice constitute just such a legitimate diversity. In any Christian hierarchy of truths the imperatives of lovet reconciliation and unity must rank higher than matters of baptismal rites and doctrines. To allow baptismal differences, therefore, to divide Christians from one another constitutes a failure of Christian love. Empirical research has revealed a widespread and strong desire for a unity that could transcend baptismal differences. The ideal has already been implemented within a number of individual congregations and in a few denominations and found to be workable. The challenge remains to the wider Christian community to allow genuine freedom of conscience in baptismal matters within one united Christian fellowship. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

<p> </p><p>In this thesis I will discuss two different ethical approaches to the Peruvian state treatment in favour of the Catholic Church, for and against, based respectively on communitarian and secularist views on the state-Church relationship which I will also discuss. After that I will offer concepts of several types of discrimination and I will connect them to the question if the Peruvian state treatment in favour of the Catholic Church is a kind of discrimination against non-Catholic minorities-believers and non-believers. Finally, I will summarize the thesis and make some general conclusions.</p> / D